Adventurous
by Bright Eyed
Summary: It happened like a drive-by shooting; ninja-style. Iruka cradled his head in his hands. He'd never stood a chance. Rating for possible future chapters
1. Chapter 1: Shot

Adventurous

It happened like a drive-by shooting; ninja-style. Iruka cradled his head in his hands. He'd never stood a chance.

Chapter 1: Shot

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It happened like a drive-by shooting; ninja style. Iruka had been grading papers, up to his usual daily routine. Nothing special about the day; there was nothing special about any day anymore. And that was okay.

Monotony was the safety-factor that Iruka highly valued; adventure was just not his thing. At least, not anymore it wasn't. He actually enjoyed knowing exactly how every day would play out, every problem that could arise and exactly how to fix it. Today was a bit different from usual, but the damage to his routine wasn't too bad. It was just a different person summoning him.

Tsunade summoned him every first Monday of the month to check on the children's progress. Again, Iruka had been sitting in his desk, grading papers, pressing the butt of his red pen to his bottom lip in concentration when he found a particularly hard to read handwriting. The knock at the window almost shocked him out of his chair; but he turned slowly to see a grinning mask blocking the precious golden sunshine from flowing into the room.

He got up and walked over, curious despite himself, and opened the window.

He didn't feel particularly irritated or anything, but it was strange; he didn't really know Kakashi, and the few experiences he'd had with the young gray-haired jounin hadn't been particularly…friendly. So why was he grinning so wildly now? And with a book of porn dangling so openly in his hand.

"Iruka-sensei," The man drawled in a lazy, happy voice. It shouldn't be unusual that he know his name, Iruka thought to himself. "Hokage-sama asked me to summon you on my way out." The tan man only nodded, turning away before the man finished with a mumbled "Ja."

He returned to his papers, collecting them to file away for later. He hadn't sensed the incoming escapade; he was blissfully unaware, the best kind of bliss the world has to offer. He'd gone to Tsunade's summoning, he'd returned to his normal routine. Nothing out of the ordinary. This blessed monotony had survived a total of three more Mondays that passed like this, Iruka summoned by the usual nameless chuunin or genin or whomever other than that gray-haired fiend. His classes were going well with the children, almost suspiciously so. They all paid attention so well; every little pair of eyes narrowed to the front, little smiles on all their faces almost every day.

Iruka took a deep breath, readying himself to go into the classroom for morning classes. He was standing in the workroom gathering the graded papers. Most would think the children would get better scores for how well they were paying attention. A rap on the window startled him into dropping the folder, scattering the papers everywhere. Irritation leaked into the man's brain as he attempted to smile cordially at the jounin currently opening the window.

"Iruka-sensei" The low voice slithered into the tan man's ears and Iruka stopped the unpleasant thoughts. It was his own fault the papers were dropped; he had absolutely no right to be angry at anyone but himself. He looked at the man to signal he was listening before stooping to gather the papers again. After a second of silence Iruka looked up. Why wasn't he talking?

Kakashi was simply crouching there, smiling giddily with his one visible eye half closed with the forceful twist of his lips. He was just waiting for Iruka to finish, not bothering to help, and for some reason that bugged the tan man even more.

"You can go ahead and relay the message, Kakashi-sensei." He kept the irritation from his voice as much as possible, but if a little leaked it wouldn't harm anyone. Iruka went back to gathering the papers. The silence continued. He'd finished gathering the papers and stood accordingly. Annoyance was already clear in the lines of his face. He'd be late to class.

"Kakashi-sensei, I need to get to class now. What was your message?" The gray-haired man dropped the smile a few broad inches, cocking his head to the side slightly. He watched Iruka with intelligent eyes that made the tan man shiver. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, being watched like that.

"Tsunade-hime needs you in her office." What? Confusion was clear on his features. It was Tuesday. And on top of that, it was time for morning classes. It must be urgent.

"Ah, alright. Thank you Kakashi-sensei." The young jounin just smiled, muttering his usual "Ja" before poofing away. The strangest man, really. Iruka shook his head. Now he'd have to find a substitute to watch his class. Shikamaru could do it. He'd been napping on the lounge couch all morning, just waiting to be put to use. Tsunade-sama had ordered him be productive if he was going to take a day off just because. Iruka gathered his patience and walked through the door to get his day started.

XXX

Nothing interesting happens to teachers, especially teachers who aren't interested in anything remotely exciting or 'interesting'. He didn't want any part of it. Excitement usually just leads to suffering and Iruka was just not 'interested' in his life becoming anything similar to a soap opera. He just wanted to revel in the ordinary life he'd built brick by brick. He smiled warmly at his students, turning to the chalkboard to begin the lesson. A few giggles behind him had the teacher turning back and the children quickly sealed their lips. The girls were blushing; the boys were flushed from hiding laughs.

Iruka stared at them oddly before returning to his chalkboard, wincing at the screech it let out as more giggles erupted behind him. The tan man bristled slightly, setting the chalk on his desk with a controlled gaze.

"What is so funny?" He growled. The students stared at him with wide, innocent eyes. Was there something on his back? Iruka pretended to scratch it, feeling all over his vest; nothing out of the ordinary. He turned back to the blackboard, readying himself to whirl at the sound of giggles again. They occurred soon enough and the man turned quickly to catch several pairs of eyes trained on the window to his right, warm brown eyes followed the gaze to the open window. There was nothing there.

The man headed over, looking out at the bushes below and all around, finding nothing. He snapped the glass shut and turned back to teaching. The rest of the day passed in a blur of familiarity.

The months were a dripping mess of his constant life uninterrupted, every Monday Iruka hoped not to see the gray-haired man at his window, knocking with that ridiculous smile. What's the point of a smile if it's covered by a mask? Other than that, he stayed as close to his routine as humanly possible, the only breaks being when he took Naruto out for ramen when the boy was in town. The close-coming graduation of the eldest class occupied the main part of his mind. They were all good kids; he would miss them like he missed every one of his former students.

Iruka sat his groceries on his small, dully shining countertop. He wasn't all that hungry, really. It was a part of his deadly routine to buy groceries on his way home every night for dinner. All the store staff knew him by name and a warm greeting. He'd just needed something to console him in the form of tedium. He'd seen Kakashi on his way home and they'd actually talked for a few moments. Not only was it shocking that the conversation between the men was rather civil despite their previous interactions, it was actually a teeny bit…interesting. Fun, even. He smiled fondly at the memory, putting away the groceries. Maybe one day they could become friends…perhaps.

He went to bed in a good mood.

XXXX

"Kakashi-sen-" The tan teacher caught himself with a slight blush "Kakashi" he felt uncomfortable with the lack of formality, especially since they weren't really friends or anything special. The man in the windowsill smiled lightly "yes, Iruka-sensei?" He colored further.

"You may call me by just my first name, Kakashi, since you're allowing me to." No response. Iruka sighed heavily, something he did often nowadays, when the young jounin had become the regular messenger for the Hokage. They talked for a little while now almost every first Monday of the month to the point where Iruka would sometimes catch himself pondering what he would say the next time they met. He would look for him on the streets, although those chance meetings were even more unusual than the summons.

He cleared his throat. "You really don't have to use the window; the front door is kept unlocked." He hinted, to be honest, he was starting to get tired to being shocked out of his wits every time Kakashi rapped on the glass.

The gray-haired man didn't bite. "That's alright. I don't mind one bit." He threw the man a playful wink before disappearing with his usual "Ja". Iruka turned away, red to the tips of his ears. If he'd known how he'd review and re-enact every part of that conversation in the future, especially that suggestive wink, he'd have stayed home that day.

As it was, that morning consumed the forefront of his mind the rest of the day, confusing his words as he taught class. Needless to say the children didn't learn much. He felt disappointed in himself for that; it was wrong of him to deprive them of a proper day of education just because of his own stupidity. He craved his usual uniformity more than ever, just because he craved those interesting conversations more than ever. It was…fun to have such an unusual acquaintance. He rolled over in bed that night, unable to sleep, the world tainted with a hint of morbidity.

It felt like he slept through life until the next month, on the first Monday. He'd barely prepared for his presentation for Tsunade; another disappointment. He'd always been so punctual about his reports; maybe she would sense how muddled his mind was with excitement. It was ridiculous. But it was addicting. He wanted to keep that little bubble in his chest fed and alive, knowing the whole walk to school that he should just squash it flat.

He didn't come that morning. So there was no reason to worry. His boring life was safe for the next month. Iruka felt heavy. He continued to feel the weight of disillusionment strapped to his calves, to his shoulders all through his meeting with the Hokage, who looked at him funny, then through the day until afternoon classes were almost over. He'd been unnecessarily harsh with punishments all day, irritated at himself. This was just another reason he hated excitement; the crash after something gets in the way of your hopes. It always happened; another part of the inevitability of his constant reality.

His chalk scratched an almost deafening shriek against the blackboard; he shuddered at the sound but kept writing. A few sparse giggles behind him and the man stiffened. He'd been preparing for this day for a long time, readying himself to catch whatever bastard (excuse the language) thought it was okay to interrupt his lessons. He smirked painfully. Today of all days. This prankster would get what was coming to him. He kept writing as if nothing happened, waiting like an agitated lion in wait.

As if on cue, the giggles came again and Iruka flung his missile. It hurtled towards its target with a whooshing whistle, smacking a puff of powder and knocking its victim off the windowsill with a grunt. The eraser had hit his target beautifully, even if it was thrown with a bit of excessive force. Iruka glowed; he was a chuunin after all. It wouldn't really hurt the prankster; just maybe leave whoever it was with a few good bruises.

"You killed him!" One little girl was near tears, gasping in shock and horror. Iruka sighed, remembering too late he'd been teaching the preschoolers today. Again, the unpleasant things excitement did to him.

"Shh, Shh" The class had turned noisy, some of the children berating their fellow for coming to such a conclusion, some following her lead in horror.

"It's okay, I didn't hurt him."

Whoever 'he' was. Iruka calmed the class thoroughly before heading outside to see if the person was still there. And there he was; Kakashi sat cross-legged on the grass, reading his porno-book with waning interest. He would have looked perfectly innocent, smile and all, except for the huge chalky eraser mark stamped diagonally across his masked face. Iruka put his hands to his hips. Of all the people; and a jounin, no less.

"Kakashi, what have you been doing at my window?" He felt odd chastising his superior, but it needed to be done. What in heck had the jounin been doing spying and distracting his class anyways? It was something more suspect-able from someone like Naruto.

The man looked at him as if he was torn between lying and telling the truth. He scrutinized the tan man's face for a second; Iruka felt his face heat up under that analytic gray eye, but he forced the boiling blood back down, blaming it on his anger.

"Maa, maa, Iruka-sensei. I was just a bit curious." He smiled charmingly, his one visible eye half-closed in an attempt to calm the teacher standing threateningly over him. He waved the porno book to show his innocence.

"You've been curious for the past few months?" the smile dropped and the man opened his eye again. Then the smile came back with a vengeance and something slightly insinuating. Iruka didn't want to decipher it, afraid of the answer he might find. He'd noticed over the past few months that Kakashi was something similar to a forest on the inside; he seemed fine on the outside, but if you delved in a bit deeper you might find yourself hopelessly tangled in some of the crazy things harbored there.

Another thing to show their huge differences; Kakashi exactly personified what Iruka didn't want any part of: excitement, adventure, danger, drama, spontaneity. The gray-haired man's eye glittered in the afternoon sunlight.

"I became interested. Then the kids saw me and it was fun to mess with them. And especially you." Iruka swallowed, trying to digest the man's heavy forwardness.

"So you just follow whatever happens to catch your fancy at the moment?" He felt his eyebrow twitch. This guy was something else.

"Yep!" the man looked up at him again, slowly putting away his book as Iruka tried not to do anything that could be seen as disrespectful.

Kakashi's gray eye gleamed in the light and Iruka's attention was drawn back to him.

"You're quite interesting, Iruka-sensei. Ja-ne." The man gave him another wink before getting up and dusting himself off, giving the now deep red teacher another dark look before poofing away.

Like he said at the beginning; this was a drive-by shooting, but ninja style. Only this wasn't _just_ ninja style, this was Kakashi style. It seemed adventure was chasing him. The only question remained; could he run away fast enough?

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	2. Chapter 2: Pranked

Chapter 2:Pranked

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"Wah!" Iruka just about slammed his head against his desk, trying desperately to get rid of the pesky thoughts that whirled in his head.

So what if he hadn't seen _that guy_ since the…the…the tan man rubbed his face in shaking hands.

Why was his life turning out like this? He'd been just fine before, clutching his boringness like a lifeline; it was his floatation device in the crazy insane world he lived in. And now, he shuddered, now, he had a crazy insane, pornographic, teasing, spiky-haired, mocking guy running full speed at him. Such a thing is bound to make ripples. No, it was bound to make huge, rolling, crashing tsunami waves. His brown eyebrow twitched.

And Iruka was still floating helplessly in the water. So, what to do?

"Iruka-sensei," A lazy voice reached him and the man froze for a heart-stopping second.

"Why so tense so early?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow "You aren't even supposed to be here for another two hours." He gave the teacher a strange look before shaking his head and turning away to nap on the bench outside, muttering a quiet 'troublesome' on his way out.

Iruka turned red. It wasn't his fault he was here so damn (excuse the language) early! After a few moments of self-pity, however, the man collected himself. He licked his lips; a habit formed sub-consciously since the 'incident'. He caught himself just as he was running the tip of a pink tongue across his lower lip, all but shoving the naughty muscle back into its lair.

The reason he was so tense; the teacher turned back to grading papers, trying not to be self-conscious as he marked papers with bright red, the reason he was so dang tense was…well, it was…

It was Monday; the first Monday, in fact, of the brand-new month.

Those two hours passed like years, slow and full of highs and lows. Really deep lows. By the end of them, Iruka's once immaculate ponytail had loosened several glossy brown strands to block his sight and he was constantly fighting a blush. Why couldn't his mind _just let it go_?

He sighed again, deciding that sitting by the window any longer would just be another huge proof of his stupidity.

Instead, his body moved to the window, where he looked out, over the rising sun village, licking his lips. It was a few moments before he caught himself and hurried away to somewhere that had no windows. A well-mannered, dedicated teacher doesn't need that kind of distraction.

And that was exactly what he was, and always would be. A simple, entirely wholesome, well-mannered teacher of the next generation. Iruka moved slowly, as if walking to an unpleasant experience, to the classroom. The children filed in a bit afterward, still yawning and rubbing little bleary eyes. Yes, he was just your ordinary well mannered, boring, homey and down-to-earth teacher. He smiled the first real smile he had since, well…for a long time. He turned to the still sleepy little faces, beaming with all the energetic glory of morning sunshine.

It was so bright, many of them groaned and covered their blinded, now aching eyes and pulled at their hair. They too were normal, and like so many normal people, were early morning-hating human beings. Iruka turned back to his average quality, averagely clean and averagely large black chalkboard. He could do this. He could go on with his day, with his _life_. And go through it as a normal, uninteresting person. He started writing, completely absorbed in the job he loved so much.

And then.

Giggles erupted from the back. Iruka held back a shudder. He was just jumping to conclusions, right? Right?

He sighed heavily, weary brown eyes slowly traveling to the open window. A chill morning breeze blew gently through its gaping emptiness. He could've danced. Well, of course not really; normal people don't dance, so he didn't. But he could've. Hypothetically speaking.

The tan man turned back slightly to smile at his unusually good-natured class. He got back to writing, once again completely absorbed, reaching back to scratch his back a bit. The children giggled once again, shuffling noises. A few gasps, whispers. Iruka's ears twitched as he whirled his chalk with deadly accuracy to the troublemaking child. It hit him square in the forehead, eliciting a yowl.

"Quiet, now! Be good or a pop quiz!" He turned back around and smiled slightly to himself, glad of the familiar words. He grabbed his coffee cup from his desk, taking a sip. Nothing like coffee first thing in the morning!

And then something rapped at the window. Its okay, it's okay. This was what he'd been preparing for. Iruka mustered his blandness, trying to be ready for anything.

He turned, smiling cordially at the window as he headed over. The gray-haired jounin lounged comfortably in the sill, an uncomfortably wide grin behind his mask.

"Maa, Iruka-sensei, Hokage-sama calls." He shifted, squatting now in the middle of the sill before waving at the class behind their teacher. He brought the porn book high, covering the lower half of his face; all but that one mischievous eye.

Iruka looked a bit perturbed, but resolutely stubborn "Kakashi, such books are not allowed on school grounds. Please remember that for the future." He hardened his features as much as possible for the normally easy, warm face. It had no effect on Kakashi, who gave a dismissive wave.

"Sure, sure. I certainly wouldn't want to do anything naughty." He gave an extremely suggestive wink, lips twisted like that of the worst of fiends, and poofed! away.

Iruka slammed the window shut, tan face red as a tomato. Damn that jounin! Why did he always elicit such an unusual reaction from him?! No matter what, Iruka always found himself frustrated or irritated in some unfamiliar way.

He turned back to his class, who stared at him with slightly wide eyes, and swiftly got back to teaching, mind on other things.

-XXX

Iruka walked into Tsunade-hime's office with the slight flush of irritation still looming on his cheeks. He tried his best to be affable. "Good morning, Hokage-sama. The usual report." He handed it to the blonde woman, smiling broadly. She was no fool.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei. You seem unusually lively this morning. Something happen?" She didn't ask with too much interest, flipping through the booklet of well-thought-out reports with most of her concentration.

"Ha," He chuckled amiably, "of course not, Tsunade-sama. The usual, the usual."

Amber eyes were sizing him up immediately and Iruka felt his cheeks go hot with the thoughts of all the unusual going-ons. He held firm, however.

"Well, good day, Hokage-sama." He turned his back, heading to the door. If he left now, he could still make it by test-time for the children. Goodness knows Shikamaru wouldn't be careful of them cheating. He'd probably just sleep through the class. Iruka almost 'tsk-ed' aloud. Instead, his ears just tuned in to the very faint, surprised-sounding chortle coming from the Hokage. He turned around, immediately catching her staring at his back incredulously.

"Iruka-sensei, what is that you've got taped to your back?" He felt his eyebrow twitch. That man…

It was almost funny how his mind immediately reverted back to one particular gray-haired jounin. Note the 'almost'.

He reached to his back, indeed finding a rather large sheet strapped to his upper vest. He all but ripped it off. No wonder everyone around him on the street was looking at him funny. On the crisp white sheet, in a scrawl that personified that insane, lazy, horrible man, wrote three words and one universal symbol.

'_I'_

'_(heart)'_

'_Hatake Kakashi' !_

Iruka could've screamed. This was no more than a child's prank; but he felt nearly insulted. As it was, his entire body felt his face's flaming red, all the way to the tips of his ears he was a very agitated looking cherry purple. That damned, accursed man! Ugh! The teacher was shaking with the force it took to keep himself still instead of running away and hiding under a rock for a very, very long time.

That son of a mother would get his. Jounin or not, Iruka would make sure of that. He'd get the scolding of a lifetime.

"Thank you so very much for telling me. Good day, Tsunade-hime." The words were hissed through gritted teeth. He stalked all the way back to the school, were the poor, unsuspecting students received the brunt of his hostility in the form of what would become infamous as the hardest test ever given.

-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning is peaceful. That was really, originally all that Iruka had ached for. Some peace. But then peace became monotony, and that had reverted to anything and everything boring. He wasn't a dry person, honest. He just…hated exhilaration. It was too much trouble, caused too many problems.

Iruka walked into his office at exactly 7:00 am. He'd made himself stay home, pacing, until the very last minute. Even though there really was no point, seeing as it was just Tuesday. Nothing special about a Tuesday… really. The man sighed, rubbing his eyes and, remembering with a horrified (although completely ridiculous) blush what exactly he'd done with that hand just that night. After another of those…dreams. Curses, more like.

And after being so upset at the guy! How could his mind still be so…filthy? Iruka shuddered in remembrance, himself not sure whether the shudder was pleasant or otherwise. He stalked into the workroom, still flushed with irritation. He sat quickly, trying to focus on his work of grading those tests, awful work by the children, less than half got above a ten percent.

But…that _was_ partly his fault. He grabbed a red pen from his cup, quickly tugging the cap to mark the abominable answers. He'd give the class a steep curve, just as an act of repentance for the horrid test. He tugged harder. It wouldn't come off. He tossed the pen lightly aside, trying again with another. It also was stuck. What the heck? He soon ran through every last one of his pens, the ones in his drawer, too! They were all stuck! Stuck or…brown eyes glared their way to the window, ripping holes through the open glass…stuck or glued.

That _man_…! He wouldn't! How old was he, ten instead of in his twenties? Ridiculous! And as if that weren't enough, -

"Need some help, Iruka-sensei?" The lazy drawl reached the severely agitated teacher like the straw that broke the camel's back. Iruka was the camel, and these glued pens were the straw.

"What did you do, Kakashi-_san_?" Iruka's voice was poison, furious red darkening his cheeks.

The man ignored him. "It seems your pens are stuck. Do you need help opening one?" He smiled, the force of the twist screwing his one bare eye into a convoluted half-moon. Iruka couldn't hold his body back as he charged forward, into the man's face.

"Why do you keep doing these things, Kakashi?!" Seriously, why? Why did that jerk have to take interest in _him_, the most uninteresting guy in Konoha? To his surprise, the young jounin only leaned a bit more forward, the smile still in place but no longer closing his one bare gray eye, its piercing gaze he'd involuntarily dreamed of, fantasized about so many times. The thought immediately had a thick blush on the teacher's face. He stubbornly kept his features angry. They were a mere inch apart.

"For that." The questioning gaze from Iruka had Kakashi explaining

"That blush. Your reactions are so unusual," He leaned forward once more, now much too close "it's got me hooked. I have to see how you'll react to what I do." Iruka was barely aware of the thickly padded fingers that were suddenly resting lightly on his cheek "It's so innocent."

"Why me?" It was a whisper. He didn't want any of this. Why him? Why, damnnit? The blush had reached the tips of his ears, making him feel uncomfortably hot and sweaty.

Instead of a normal answer, like Iruka would have much preferred, the gray haired jounin only smiled, those fingers suddenly not just pressing, but gripping the hot skin of his jaw to pull him forward and into a quick kiss. (after pulling his mask down in a blinding flash)

Well, intended to be a long kiss as Kakashi attempted to explore his mouth and was, in a burst of shock and inner calamity, cut short as the teacher promptly shoved the jounin away. Out the window.

He landed with an oof! and Iruka's short-lived guilt.

It wasn't his fault; he didn't ask to be kissed! By Hatake Kakshi no less! He was even more red now, his mind completely blank except for an unnamable irritation. He strode back to his desk, grabbed a pen, and rushed back to the window. Kakashi was still on the ground, lounging around now. Like an idiot. Ugh!

Iruka made sure Kakashi could see the pen. And, in the jounin's face, he literally ripped the cap off and threw it down on the man before snapping the window shut.

He absolutely, absolutely would not have it! Any of it! He didn't want any of it! He didn't need, want or would have any of what that guy offered, what he lived! He didn't want any adventure! The teacher clutched at the fabric over his hammering heart, the other clamped over his buzzing lips.

He didn't want it. He wouldn't have it. He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't…wouldn't…just couldn't! He found himself having to concentrate simply on keeping his knees from wobbling too hard and knocking him over. He'd collapse, he would. That was one thing he _would_ do.

The feeling that had started as Kakashi had leant in closer spread, warming his limbs and he found he didn't have the strength, or the will, to beat it back down. He wanted it there, spreading through his nerves. He liked feeling warm.

He shook his head. Kakashi was just messing with him. He couldn't stay in the dream world of naïve stupidity for much longer; he had to work in- he checked the clock. Three minutes. He had to face the world in three minutes. With a deep breath, the man attempted to collect himself.

-XXXXX

Iruka had a choice. This was, by no means, a simple decision. No, it shook the fundamentals of his entire life. One; ignore everything, stay safe. The smart decision. Two; ignore nothing. Go out on a limb and set himself up for either great success, or great, blistering failure. The not-so-smart decision, but possibly the one with the greatest reward.

But, to make that decision, he had to have some solid evidence. It would be beyond cruel if this was all a joke, a…a prank. It wouldn't be surprising. So, he had to admit it to himself.

_Say it out loud, now. You're alone, in your home, and it's the middle of the night._

Who could hear him? No one, that's who. And it wasn't a big deal, either, not love or anything.

Just, shudder, _interest_. Damn that gray-haired man. Iruka rolled over so his voice would be muffled by the pillow.

"I-" he shuddered, bringing up the covers to engulf his head. He had to do this, or lose more sleep.

"I like him." _Who, now? Say it correctly_. Him.

"Hatake Kakashi."

Yes. Yes, he felt a bit better now, even though the crashing of his boring world around him was a bit noisy; all the blood-curdling screams and such. He sighed, but was finally able to get to sleep. He'd been ruthlessly pranked, and by the state of things, it had worked. So, was it all just a joke?

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	3. Chapter 3 : Mercilessly Beaten

Chapter 3: Mercilessly Beaten

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"Wow, ah, sensei, you got…curtains?" the question was not enthusiastic. Iruka beamed anyways. Shikamaru smirked; Iruka didn't want to know what his genius brain had already figured out.

"Oh, you noticed? Yes, I thought they would look good in here. I got some for my classroom as well." _No more surprises._ Don't worry now; this was all part of the plan. He needed to be sure. And this was the perfect way. They were a thick, lightless maroon, impossible for even the sharpest eyes to penetrate. And he would start working in the inner workroom; the one without windows.

If…if he came inside, that meant that Iruka could go out on a limb and allow himself to like this man. If not, then he would have nothing to do with the young jounin any longer. It was as simple as that. Yes or no. He liked him for real or not.

The tan teacher said his 'later' with a cordial wave as he headed off for his classroom. It was time to begin. He'd been waiting for this day for a few weeks: the first Monday of the month. He would never admit his palms were sweating. They weren't…humph.

He turned to the red cheeked, bleary little faces of his class and was filled, like almost every morning, with the spreading warmth of the love he held for his profession. To so influence the youth for good was a rare opportunity not afforded to many.

So, would… would it affect them negatively to see their teacher change? To see him accept all of a sudden that which he was always to adamant against?

Or would it be good for them?

These mutinous thoughts plagued the simple teacher as he worked, and it drove him to teach more passionately, more desperate to attend to the needs of each individual child, as he worked out the issue in his mind. So preoccupied, he jumped a foot when the afternoon releasing bell rung.

The day was over.

No one had come.

He should have been expecting that.

He wasn't hurt. Not one bit. He wasn't disappointed, either. No. Not at all. Iruka gathered his things. He would visit the Hokage though; no messenger had come to summon him at all. He would just see if everything was alright. But he wouldn't ask after him. No, he wouldn't. He wasn't even curious.

After all, Hatake Kakashi was a jounin, and thus had many important things to occupy his precious time. He obviously didn't have all day to pester some Academy teacher.

Maybe he lost interest.

Good. That was a good thing. Right? Yes. Yes, it was. Iruka shook his aching head and knocked at Tsunade's beaten door. When he heard a muffled 'enter', he steeled his resolve and came in.

And there he was, somehow gloriously backlit by streams of halogen sunlight, covered in dirt and dripping blood in small, steady streams to the floor.

Iruka's heart stopped. Then picked up in overdrive.

"Kakashi! Wha- what happened to you? You need a hospital!" In the midst of rushing to the man, Iruka noticed his overwhelmingly concerned expression, his tangible worry, and his sudden proximity to the lean jounin. Oh, and he'd completely forgotten to address the Hokage in the room.

Snapping his gaping jaw shut, he collected himself and banished the flood of embarrassed blood to his cheeks. Clearing his throat, he ignored Kakashi's first surprised, then impishly flattered smirk and turned to greet Tsunade's knowing leer.

Shit. No, dang, dang, dang! He'd been slowly turning into a potty mouth of late.

"Eh-hem. Tsunade-sama, I didn't receive a messenger from your office today. However, I've still collected the report." He dropped the thick file onto the Hokage's desk, trying desperately to ignore her glittering eyes, and bowed to run out and hide under a rock. He'd been wanting to do that a lot, too.

"Iruka-sensei." Her tone stopped him in his tracks. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" He tried pleading with her through his eyes. She was, of course, merciless.

"I forgot to send you that messenger this morning," her face said the opposite, she knew, damn it, she planned it, "Kakashi here just got back from a mission and seems to be bleeding out on my carpet. Could you escort him to the Hospital, please?"

Her hazel eyes curved into those familiar half-moons of trouble-making intent that he'd seen so many times on the children, and on Kakashi. Maybe she was in on it.

Did that mean he was more than just interested?

Or was it simply another branch of some sickly elaborate plan to get Iruka out in the open, to be further pranked?

He paused to show his hesitation, and bowed respectfully. He was still, after all, under her command. Of course, Kakashi was more than capable of getting himself to the hospital. But that wasn't the point.

"Yes, Tsunade-hime."

On the way out of her office, Iruka looked everywhere he could but at the jounin. Kakashi, however, had other plans. Once out of the bright red door, the grey-haired man seemed to lose full function of his legs, and had to lean heavily on Iruka, muscled arm around his shoulders and his grey-haired head resting uncomfortably close to Iruka's .

The tan teacher tried his hardest not to think about how Kakashi's small waist rippled with muscle under his supportive arm, and how his breath, undeniably and strangely sweet, ruffled his hair, brushed his lips. Iruka swallowed.

"You're filthy." He said, more venomously than intended. It was a desperate out-lash to distract from his wandering thoughts. But Kakashi only used it to fuel his smirk, "Oh, yes, Iruka-sensei. The dirtiest."

Iruka bit his lip and ignored how Kakashi caressed his name, how he whispered hotly in his ear. Of course he would turn it around like that. But… the fact was that Kakashi really was bleeding out, and despite his inner battle, despite his loathing for the man who had so mercilessly stirred up these unwelcome feelings within the teacher, Iruka couldn't hide his genuine concern. Not even behind feigned disgust.

"What…what happened to you?" Kakashi raised a brow at his tone. He was giving too much away!

"The same that happens on most dangerous missions. I was attacked." He shrugged, and Iruka pouted.

"Are you actually worried, sensei?"

The tan man whirled to face Kakashi, "Of course! Who wouldn't be? You're bleeding everywhere!" Kakashi blinked, frozen momentarily and snapped from his feigned over-injury, he stood on his own.

"Even though you _can_ still walk for yourself, you're injured." Iruka backed himself in an arguably quieter tone. So what if he was concerned, that was human, right?

"No one's ever really been worried about me." Kakashi admitted shrugging nonchalantly, and the small confession twisted something within Iruka.

"Well, people say I worry too much, anyway." That would get him off his scent.

Instead, it did the opposite. The taller jounin took the excuse to heavily lean on the teacher again, really practically laying on him, and…was that a nuzzle at his neck? Iruka gulped. He couldn't stand much more of this. His nerves were over-sensitive after so little use for so long.

"Maa, sensei-" before Iruka could control himself, he pinched Kakashi's side, "Stop calling me sensei!"

Oh, damn. He just _pinched_ a jounin! Like he would some vagrant child! He flooded bright red, maybe he could cover it, "I'm not your teacher or your superior, Kakashi-san." He wasn't even his equal in the ninja-skill hierarchy. The thought stabbed something dark in Iruka's heart of gold.

He looked at the road, rather than face Kakashi's shocked grey eye.

Instead of some offense at being so casually treated, however, Iruka felt the low vibrations of Kakashi's chuckles, "Did you just pinch me?"

Of course he would call him out.

"Uh, yes. It was a knee-jerk reaction. But you deserved it!" Kakashi grinned impishly at him, "Oh? How is that?"

Iruka cleared his throat. "You were being… inappropriate…" after a moments hesitation, he continued, "You're always so… inappropriate with me."

Kakashi, to Iruka's dismay, pulled him in impossibly, breathtakingly closer. He was so…warm. The warmth spread all over Iruka's body, followed by delicious- no! Terrible, uncomfortable tingles.

"I seem," he whispered hotly, again caressing his ear, "to have a habit of being… inappropriate."

Before Iruka could respond venomously, they reached the Hospital. Instead, he quickly left Kakashi to lean on empty air as he opened the door, nearly pushed the surprised jounin inside, and with a farewell and a quick, "get better." Was running home; tail between his legs.

Oh, the shame. He'd run like some coward, rather than face the overbearing salaciousness that was Hatake Kakashi any longer. His heart simply couldn't take his company any longer.

That thought, that blaspheme he'd uttered that night into his pillow: it was an impossible imagination. Never to be brought to light again.

He'd bury it deep inside, and never allow it out. Never, ever. It would just stay his deepest unconsciousness' dirtiest secret. Yes, that would do it. He would just get over it.

Another month passed, and with each day Iruka forced himself to ignore his buzzing brain. Waking up, making breakfast, sitting down to eat; Iruka dropped his spoon into the same cereal he ate every morning, pushing it away. His head met the countertop.

The truth was, he felt like a zombie.

He hated that damn cereal.

But what, he ate it anyway. Why? For what? The sad part was that he had to remind himself every day why he stuck to routine. And every subsequent day he would again forget. His mind, his body would rebel, he would find himself yearning after all that he'd once worked so hard to ignore. He pressed his wrist to his neck, then to his forehead.

He had a fever. And hadn't even noticed. No wonder he felt so crappy.

No winder he had such strange thoughts. He was just sick, that was all. Ha. Ha, ha. He found himself chortling, then chucking, then laughing wildly at himself, alone in his tiny kitchen at seven am.

He was hysterical.

Maybe it was better he didn't go to work today. The thought itself was shocking; Iruka hadn't missed a day of work since…since before he could remember right now. Quickly, before his logos could get him out of it, he scrawled a quick message to the school and sent it off.

Rest; that was all he needed. Just a good long rest. Getting up, not even bothering for once to keep his otherwise immaculate kitchen that way by cleaning his dishes, he strode to his bed and dove under the covers. He closed his eyes, the dawn sunlight settling wonderfully warm over his face. And dozed.

Something tickled his nose.

Deep in the fog of sleep, Iruka scrunched his face and fell back into sleep. Then again: his nose twitched and he swatted blindly around his face. He fell once more. Then, damnnit, again! This time Iruka's half-asleep brain in frustration over-compensated; he smacked himself awake: only to be greeted by none other than that dreaded, maddening grey eye.

Oh, dang. Iruka took a deep breath, calming himself before he said or did something regrettable.

"Good-morning, sensei!" The jounin crooned.

"Kakashi-san, why are you in my home?" He couldn't keep all of the indignant aggravation from his tone, and for once didn't bother trying to bring himself to care.

Kakashi only grinned under that accursed mask, "You weren't at the Academy today."

The teacher sighed wearily, "I had a fever this morning," _Thanks to you_, he decided to leave out, "And so decided to stay home and _rest_." He did add, hoping the jounin would, with his super-sonic skills, get the hint.

Of course, he didn't. He used it, as always, as an excuse to make Iruka further uncomfortable by leaning dangerously close and pressing a suddenly gloveless hand to Iruka's neck.

"Maa, it's true."

Iruka had never quite noticed how long and almost…graceful Kakashi's fingers were.

"You didn't answer my question, Kakashi-san. Why are you in my house?"

Kakashi shrugged, "I decided to investigate. It's so…unlike you to skip work." Iruka glowered, "I'm not skipping, I'm sick." There's a difference. And, that's no reason to break in. Kakashi waved him off dismissively.

"Worry not, Iruka-sensei! I shall nurse you carefully back to health." Oh, no. Iruka didn't like that gleam in the tall jounin's eye; there was no-good written all over that look.

How to get him out? The tan man thought rapidly; he couldn't handle all this while sick and still bleary from sleep, "Don't you have a mission? Or some errands? Really, you don't have to-"

"Nah-ah," Kakashi cut him off, "You'll not squirm your way out of this one. I have you now," He grinned hugely, and Iruka gulped.

"Well, maybe if you squirm…" Kakashi trailed off has he headed for the door. Warm brown eyes unwittingly followed his easy gait, noticing that Kakashi was in regular civilian clothes; and still heavily bandaged.

"Shouldn't you still be in the Hospital?" Iruka grasped at straws, yelling after the man. Kakashi, of course, ignored him.

Dang. Dang, dang, dang, crap, crap, crap. What to do now, with the root of all Iruka's problems unwilling to get out of his house? He put his head in his hands. Then, in a sudden inspiration, released himself from the covers and ran after Kakashi; only to be halted forcefully at his doorway.

"Sensei," Iruka swallowed thickly at the Kakashi's sultry tone, "You belong in bed. I'll get you _everything_ you need." The teacher couldn't dwell on how Kakashi said that first 'bed' part, instead putting his fists to his hips, "I can get up if I want."

Kakashi chuckled, leaning in closer, "I don't think you understand. _Bed_." He mouthed the word slowly. Too slowly. Iruka's fragile nerves cracked further. His heart beat too loudly; surely Kakashi's renowned hearing would pick up on it. And at the look on his face, he did. Iruka involuntarily flooded red. Shit.

Ah! No, dang it!

More to save himself from further embarrassment, Iruka glared at Kakashi and sulked back to his bed.

"Don't worry," Kakashi said, drawing the blankets back over Iruka's twitching form, "You'll find you love it in my bed."

What? Iruka blanched. "Wha-…what did you say?"

Could he have heard him correctly?

"I said you'll find you love it in bed." The jounin smiled innocently.

Huh… That must've been it. The other thing…that was impossible. Just his overactive imagination…

"Now, be a good sensei and stay there. I'll get your soup." Soup?

"It's seven am, Kakashi-san."

The tall man wagged a playful finger at him, "Remember, it's just Kakashi. It's actually eight am. And sick people require soup. I read that."

Where, in his dirty Icha-Icha books? Humph! Iruka snorted, but didn't say anything as Kakashi disappeared again. Then, not surprisingly, he soon heard a resounding crash.

Oh, what was he into now?

Iruka flung himself out of bed, this time with Kakashi preoccupied with the mess he'd made, Iruka made it to the kitchen; in time to see Kakashi stooped over a huge flood of what looked like once-boiling water, not seeming to notice how red his beautiful hands became as he mopped it up with only a soaked paper towel.

"Kakashi!" Iruka sighed, running over to draw the stupid jounin away from the over-heated water, "Can't you see you're burning yourself?" The tall man only looked blankly at him, and Iruka hung his head. Of course he wouldn't notice. Gathering up those long-fingered, cherry red hands in his own, Iruka stood and drew him to run them under cool water.

"They should feel better soon; it doesn't look like you burned them too badly." He shook his head, "What happened?"

Kakashi explored his face solemnly, "I forgot to use oven mitts."

Iruka 'tsked', clucking his disapproval. It was such an elementary mistake. As he busied himself looking over the man's hands, then finding some soothing salve, he barely noticed Kakashi creep ever closer. Soon, he was looming barely an inch from the man as Iruka smoothed the cream over Kakashi's abused fingers, making extra sure to rub the cream in well. No blisters were welcome here!

When he was done, he beamed at the taller man, "All better!" Kakashi gave a small, slow smile.

"Thank you, Iruka." His voice was a rough, low tenor melody.

Iruka's heart stopped.

He blinked.

Then smiled, "Of course."

He ignored the terrible pounding of his heart. Just Iruka…? No 'sensei' this time. He glowed internally.

But interrupted himself. He was thinking…inappropriately. "I'll grab a mop." Turning, Iruka didn't get more than a foot away before long, muscled arms wrapped around his waist, and a warm, and was it bare? Mouth whispered hotly in his ear. "I'll get it. You still belong in _bed_." Yes. Iruka shuddered into Kakashi's warm embrace; those were real lips he felt at his ear. No mask.

Temptation fluttered in his heart. But he wouldn't. Instead, He gulped, nodded, blushing furiously, and started back to the room.

Only to be stopped again; but this time Kakashi whirled the teacher around, connecting their lips before Iruka could even gather what was happening. Thus surprised, Iruka found himself utterly and completely melting in Kakashi's arms. Their tongues met exultantly; and in that paralyzing, breath-taking moment; Iruka realized what was happening.

He pushed with all his might; and Kakashi, _the_ Hatake Kakashi, stumbled backwards a few feet.

He gasped for breath.

He'd caught a glimpse of his face.

Oh, it was beautiful.

Already as red as he could possibly be, Iruka gasped for a moment more at Kakashi's frozen figure before turning and practically running back to his bed. No, no, no, no, no! His heart was thumping somewhere up his throat, and Iruka buried himself deep under his covers. He mourned for his life as he'd once known it.

Whether he wanted it to or definitely not, his life would now change. He couldn't go back. Not after a kiss like _that_. Mind-bending, world shattering, blinding, oh. He was so screwed. Mercilessly beaten.

If this really was all just a cruel joke, he would be bed-ridden for at least a full day. He wouldn't be able to kiss another without painful memories of the best kiss he'd ever gotten, ever.

But how could he be sure? He couldn't, not yet. There had to be a way.

Why was he playing with him like this?

But first, he had to face the world sometime. Turning his face towards the light, Iruka sat up in bed, deciding this time to wait patiently until Kakashi came back. He heard faint whistling, then humming coming from the kitchen. It felt like he waited for forever. But then- footsteps. Iruka made a conscious effort to control his heart's wild beating.

"Iruka-sensei!" The man called; so it was back to 'sensei', then. Maybe that meant it really was all a joke. Ah! He would go crazy before he ever figured it out. Kakashi sauntered back into the room, and Iruka had to consciously snap his jaw shut. Somehow, in the last few minutes, Kakashi had gone out and bought soup.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Ano, I messed up the last one, so I got you some Ichiraku's." He grinned. Iruka's chest stuttered. That was sweet…right? Once more unbalancing Iruka's delicate nervous system, Kakashi sat carefully on the bed, too close once more to the tan, flustered man and, removing his mask where Iruka would have to crane to see him, He pressed his cheek against Iruka's flushed one.

"Yup. Still feverish," The jounin concluded, and Iruka darkened further. "Actually, sensei, I think you may be getting worse." Iruka sighed, and rolled his eyes. If he was getting worse, it was all Kakashi's fault.

Kakashi smiled, and Iruka could swear he knew. He knew his effect, and he knew Iruka's monster blush was the reason he was getting worse.

He was playing with him; like a mischievous cat playing with a witless mouse.

Iruka was the mouse.

"Say 'Ah'!" Kakashi crooned, attempting to spoon some of the soup into Iruka's sealed lips.

He sighed heavily, utterly resigned to his fate. He would be eaten, surely.

"Ahh."

It was delicious. But of course, he'd always loved Ichiraku's.

As he faced that accursed cat's half-moon eye, Iruka was suddenly filled with a righteous indignation. Now he was a simple mouse? No way! He was the educator of the next genius generations of ninja in Konoha, the greatest ninja village of all. How could he just roll over like that?

He would be setting a bad example.

And that thought was what clicked the 'on' switch within Iruka. This was now above himself; it would be selfish to continue letting Kakashi toy with him like this. He had to do something. He had to turn it around on the damn cat.

Iruka narrowed warm brown eyes, a plan suddenly filling him.

He knew what he needed to do. Now it was just a matter of going through with it. He gulped down his fears. He would just prank Kakashi right back.

Begin!

Iruka turned on Kakashi's leering face, coming at him with another spoonful of soup, and grabbed the incoming hand; caressing it and bringing it to his pouted mouth.

He could do this. Kakashi's wide, entranced eye hardened his confidence.

Slowly, intimately, staring sultrily into Kakashi's stormy grey eye, Iruka brought the spoon to his mouth and enveloped it, making sure to drag his lips along the shining metal.

"Mm," He moaned, "this soup is _orgasmic_."

Kakashi's mouth popped open.

It was all Iruka could do not to start laughing. Instead, he focused his energies on pulling the shell-shocked Kakashi so he could whisper hotly in his ear, "_More_." In his most seductive voice.

Kakashi, still partially paralyzed, raised another spoonful to his lips. Again, Iruka moaned headily as he suggestively licked the spoon clean. "That was _amazing_." This was kind of…fun.

Finally, the jounin blinked, and seemed to snap out of his shock. But then that grey eye turned dangerous. Oh, no. His genius plan may have backfired. Or did it? All of a sudden, a dark air seemed to shroud the tall man, and he nearly purred. "Oh, sensei, I know how much you love this soup, but I think you look tense."

"Tense?" Surprise made the teacher forget his plan momentarily.

"Oh, yes." Kakashi clucked, shaking his head and moving in, "So tense. Not healthy. Here, Let me…take care of you." He grinned predatorily. Iruka blinked, and before he could violently protest, Kakashi was positioned behind him, long legs nearly wrapped around him.

Iruka shivered at the heat he knew was coming from Kakashi's inside, and flushed as he realized exactly what part of the jounin was pressed dangerously tight against his butt. He took deep breaths, willing his eyes not to roll back in his head.

"Ka-Kakashi, this is—" The jounin cut him off, "Shh," Oh, those were his lips, so soft against the curve of his ear. Those long, strong fingers, once a burned red ran in delicious circles up and down Iruka's back and sides, and the tan man found himself fighting his own body. No, his mind screamed as his body reacted to the heat, the proximity and those damned hands; no he would absolutely not get hard right now.

Kakashi purposefully panted in his ear, oh-so cruel. Then, just as Iruka was becoming sure it couldn't get any worse, Kakashi whipped his shirt over his head.

What?!

"Kakashi! Now that's just, just—" Iruka started to squirm away, after his discarded shirt, but then those magic fingers happened. Perfectly firm yet supple, Kakashi rubbed him just the right way; releasing years of pent-up stress in a matter of seconds. Before he could stop himself and entirely involuntary, Iruka released a real, deep throated moan. Oh, my. Behind him, Kakashi seemed to growl in response. The way he moved—Iruka soon found himself losing conscious thought; he gripped Kakashi's thighs, still pressed around him, and rolled his head.

"Ah, wow, Kakashi," He mumbled when he finally gathered his fleeing thoughts. His fingers released his pleasure, gripping and nearly massaging Kakashi's muscled thighs.

And then.

Something poked his butt; right between the cheeks.

All that tension he'd released came back in a heart-stopping second.

Was…was that…?

Kakashi bit his shoulder gently, but hard enough to get a rise out of the man; Iruka looked down and nearly fainted. He was completely and irreprehensibly hard, fully erect and staring them both in the face.

They were both hard: Iruka straight up in the air and Kakashi digging into the space between his butt cheeks.

And Kakashi took that glorious moment to nip at his flushed, feverish earlobe and whisper some lame excuse into his ear. Something about leaving the water running at home.

"I'll take care of this," he, swoon, stroked Iruka's clothed girth, "Later. Ja."

And 'poofed' away.

Iruka could've cried.

He was, once more, mercilessly beaten.

* * *

**Hey. So it's been a few years, (sorry!) but I'm finally finishing up this story.**

**:D don't be mad, get glad (seriously, sorry)**

**One more chappie to go!**

**However, after this one, because of my own insatiability, I'll be changing the rating to M.**

**Just a warning.**

**Review!**

**Entice me to update faster C; You must be seductive, now.**

**(heh)**

**Love,**

**Bright Eyed**


	4. Chapter 4 : Finished Off

Chapter 4: Finished Off

.

(finally)

.

.

It wouldn't happen again. Nope. He was over it. And that was exactly why he was cowering- no, working, in the inner workroom today, and everyday now. He hadn't seen that man since that day; it had been a week. But still he stayed inside. No surprises.

Iruka sighed the weight of the world. The room was dark; it was afterhours. Technically he should be safe now, as Kakashi had never appeared past morning. And yet here he was, grading papers in the dark and stuffy inner room. For fear of meeting him.

No, that wasn't right.

For fear of what then? Making it too easy for him?

Last time had gone way over the line; assuming there had been a line in the first place. Iruka had never said, or even indicated 'stop'. And when he asked himself, truly and honestly, in that deep place in his soul; he hadn't wanted Kakashi to leave. He'd wanted him to keep going; going wherever he wanted. He couldn't deny that he wanted it too.

Iruka pressed the red pen to his lips, thinking hard. The children had been doing better; he'd thrown himself entirely into his work after the incident. He'd poured himself out into his work, his routine, his daily doings, feeling more alive than ever before. But it was the growing hint of pain as the empty days passed that made him feel it, that buzz in his fingertips.

He was addicted.

To him.

To… to it.

What he personified.

Adventure.

The unknown.

The newness of it all.

This was why. Why he'd avoided it as if his life depended on it. In a way, it had.

And so, he waited. He made it harder for him each passing day, in case of the off chance he would try looking for him. So he ducked into alcoves on the streets, locked his doors and windows, worked in the deepest, most reclusive room in the academy. He no longer came to work overly early; instead staying late.

He avoided him for all his life's worth.

And Kakashi had yet to find him. It was a good thing. It meant Iruka was safe.

He would go through withdrawals, of course, as any addict does. But even that was already half over. He was almost halfway over it. Over him. Iruka sighed.

If only.

But, above all, one must remain positive. He perked, purposefully straightening in his chair and focusing hard. All too soon, however, Iruka felt the thick, sweet pull of grogginess fog the corners of his consciousness. Not to mention he hadn't been getting much sleep. Actually, lately he was lucky if he got a full five hours. Needless to say, it was starting to take its toll. Iruka checked the clock; half-past nine. He would stay another half hour, then head home to hopefully pass out until morning.

He worked.

And worked.

The seconds ticked by individually, in a slow, hypnotic rhythm: tick, tick, tick…tick…

A warm something brushed ticklish hair from his face; Iruka woke with a start, nearly jumping out of his chair, "Whoa," came a familiar deep tenor.

Oh, no.

He'd been found. The tan man harshly silenced his throbbing heart.

Kakashi peered at him, a peculiar look in his unusually soft grey eye, from his perch on Iruka's desk. Once more, he was covered in fresh-looking bandages. He looked tired, worn. Iruka felt his brows furrow.

"You're hurt."

Kakashi smiled slightly, "Yes, I am. You've been avoiding me."

Iruka felt his face flush. "With good reason." He mumbles noncommittally. Kakashi scoffed.

"And what would that be?"

The teacher glared fiercely up at the jounin, suddenly fed up at keeping it all in.

"You've been toying with me, Kakashi. I'm, well, I'm sick of it. I don't know what you want. I can't tell if what you're doing is real, or just some sick joke."

Kakashi blinked down at him. "It…didn't seem real to you?"

Iruka swallowed. Oh.

"W-well… You're always so, so vague. And I, I just-"

"Me kissing you, both times, that was vague? Or that massage, that was unclear?"

Iruka blushed again. Well, it had seemed that way…at the time. Now it seemed a bit stupid.

Before he could answer, however, Kakashi was an inch away and drawing closer, mask drawn off and hot breath mingling with Iruka's short, desperate gasps. "This," He caressed Iruka's jaw, leaning in torturously slowly, "Can't possibly," His voice lowered as he slowly, achingly drew closer, "Be vague."

With that, Iruka closed the remaining space himself: no longer able to hold it in.

Oh, those lips. Crushed together, Iruka moaned all his pent-up need, frustration, and aching longing in a very heated kiss. Kakashi gripped Iruka's back, pulling him to seal their bodies together as he stood from his perch on the desk, pushing Iruka's chair back and utterly devouring all Iruka was, all he had to give and pouring himself out in return.

When their connection finally broke, Kakashi pressed his forehead to Iruka's while the teacher panted the realization that this was, indeed, real life.

"Oh." He sighed.

So…it wasn't all a joke, after all.

Kakashi, fantastically barefaced, grinned blindingly. Iruka stroked his stubbled cheek, reveling in the rare opportunity to bask in the glory that was Kakashi's real face. He nipped his rosy lips.

"So…" He started, when he'd finally gained enough sense to speak, "What…" He blushed again, "What does this mean? Are you still…interested in me?"

He wanted to be clear. He'd lose no more sleep over this.

Kakashi chuckled deep in his chest, "I'd say I'm a bit passed simple interest, Iruka."

The teacher gaped at him, red as a tomato and heart throbbing wildly against Kakashi's chest.

"Huh." Was all he could manage; so entirely lame.

"Well, from the looks of it," The unfairly handsome jounin purred, "You haven't been getting much sleep." Iruka stared at him. How did he know?

Kakashi, as the enigma he was, remained as indecipherable as ever.

"I plan of fixing that."

Oh, that dark look in his eye. Iruka bit his lip; Kakashi took that as the invitation it was and proceeded to lift Iruka up, gripping his ass deliciously roughly and depositing him onto his desk; effectively knocking over everything on it.

Frankly, Iruka couldn't have cared less.

He at long last, after all, found he was capable of embracing everything as it was.

He'd hidden so long from adventure: from life.

So,

It had come to find him.

Finally.

.

.

* * *

**Hey. **

**Finally finished, ne?**

**About damn time.**

**Tell me what you think !**

**Oh yeah, so there was a bit of false advertising last time; no lemon here...**

**This time.**

**Love,**

**Bright Eyed**


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